Page 14 of Skating to Him
“Anyway, Rowan, I’ll see you out.” Tyler wound a hand around my elbow and walked with me toward the door.
“See you both at practice.” I peeked down the hallway. Where was Ace? I hadn’t seen him all night.
Ace came barreling into the main room. “You leaving, Rowan?” He strolled over and wrapped me in a bear hug, lifting me onto my tiptoes before releasing me. “Sorry, been destroying Myles here in a game of NHL.”
“He made me be the goalie. I’m no good at that.” Myles popped the refrigerator open and pulled out some bottles of Gatorade. “Anyone need a beverage?”
“No, I’m good.” Tyler glanced at me. “You okay to drive?”
“I had one beer, Hodge. I’ll be fine.” I gave him a sly grin. “Anyway, you all have a good night, and I’ll see you in the morning.” I opened the door. These guys were cool. They had something special, and I was happy to be a part of it.
Tyler followed me onto the stoop. “Have a good night, and text me when you get home.” He rolled his lips and looked around him.
I stared at him for a beat. Was he that worried about me? “I told you, one beer isn’t?—”
“Yeah, but it’s just something I need. I had a friend in high school who left my house on a motorcycle, got in an accident, and was killed.” He swallowed hard. “Guess it stuck with me.”
“Jesus, really? I’m sorry.” I squeezed his hand, and his gaze fell to them. Now I got it. He probably requested this from everyone, not just me. “I’ll text you when I get home.”
He wrapped his fingers around mine, tightening our bond, and then freed me. “Thanks. Drive safe.”
“I will.” Our gazes locked, and I leaned in. What the fuck was I about to do? Give him a goodbye kiss? “Uh, see you.” Swiveling, I hitched the strap of my backpack higher and strode to my car. I was losing my Goddamned mind again.
After drivingto my apartment and texting Tyler to let him know I was safe, I dropped onto my couch with my cell phone in hand. What an odd night. On the surface, it had looked completely normal. But deep in my gut, I felt anything but normal.
Taking a breath, I held up my phone and FaceTimed Teddy. Calling him was long overdue.
The phone rang a few times before Teddy picked up, his blue eyes surrounded by red curls filling the screen. “Hey, Rowan. Good to see your face.”
“Yeah, thought it was about time.” As my heart warmed, I smiled into the phone. “What are you doing?” I glanced at the surroundings behind him. It looked like he was sitting on his couch, same as me.
“I was getting some reading done for a fluid dynamics class.” His gaze flicked away and came back. “You’re taking that too, right?”
“Yeah, along with a geography class I didn’t know was going to include fucking chemistry.” I scoffed. If I’d have known, I would have chosen a different elective. But then, I wouldn’t be in a class with Tyler.
“You hated chemistry in high school.” He snickered. “You barely passed, didn’t you?”
“C-minus. Yeah, barely.” Shaking my head, I chuckled. I should talk to him about the squad. “Hey, did I ever tell you about these guys on my hockey team who are all queer?”
His brows snapped up. “No, you did not. Are you the only one who knows about them?”
“Oh no.” I shifted on the couch, stuffing my feet under my ass. “They’re, like, out and proud. Everyone knows about them. They met in the junior leagues or something and all planned to come to ASU to play together. Some of them have moved on to the NHL, but three of them are still here and living in the same house.” I breathed in deeply. I’d said a lot for him to take in.
“Yeah? So I take it you’re befriending them?” He studied me through the phone.
“I am. One in particular. A guy named Tyler Hodge. Coach just paired us up as a defensive line. The guy is a great player. His brother plays for the Rangers, and his dad coaches the best juniors team in Chicago.”
“Oh, a Chicago boy.” He nodded slowly. “Is this Tyler gay or…?”
“He’s gay. I went to a gay bar with him and another guy on our team last weekend. It was…” Fuck, I was totally spilling my guts to Teddy. I pursed my lips. Was I ready to talk about this? Why not? “It was a little strange.”
“Strange how?” He peered at me. “I can’t imagine the bars out there being more wild than the ones here in Boston.” He wagged his brows.
“No, it wasn’t that.” Hanging my head, I teased a fold in my joggers. “The vibe with this guy is different. He got pretty drunk that night and said some things…” My gaze cut to the phone. “And I didn’t hate it.”
His eyes widened. “Like what things?”
I scoffed through a laugh. “He was lamenting about needing to get laid and shit.” Shaking my head, I said, “It was stupid and probably nothing, but?—”
